Painting room today

[BigJ]

Don't have any idea what color I'm picking but it'll be something neutral. I'll ask the guys at HD for recommendations.

But my real question is what tips do you guys have? I haven't painted a room for years so I definitely don't know good time saving techniques, tips to get a better end result, or anything else people more familiar with painting would know. Also, some questions:

-Will be buying Behr Premium Plus; they suggest 3/8"-1/2" naps on the rollers. Do you guys have a preference?

-Will be using Kilz Original Primer. Says it is ready for another application in an hour. Should I wait longer or will it be good to go. The Behr says it'll be ready for 2nd coat in 4 hours. Also good or should I wait longer?

-Wet to dry best technique to use with the roller?

-Double coat of primer (dark walls) and double coat of paint should be fine, right?

Whatever advice any of you have would be much appreciated.

Update: Round 1 goes to the paint.

Did the ceiling and completely messed it up because I let the roller get too dry. Amateur move, told myself I wouldn't do it, and it happened. What'cha gonna do. Doing a second coat on it. I mean it doesn't actually look that bad, but it's noticeable in a few spots. I'll be painting over the next 16 hours (weird sleep schedule, I sleep during the day for 4-5 hours) so hopefully at the least I'll be able to get the ceiling finished, another coat of primer on, and a coat of paint on (done right that is). Glad I learned my lesson on the ceiling though where I have plenty of spare paint.

Thanks everyone for all the tips.

Tally so far:

Paint 1
BigJ 0

 

[rky60]

I just painted my entire house, trim included. Used the HD Behr paint and the Behr primer.


3/8" would be fine, use the Purdy rollers, and brushes (can be pricey but worth it)
1 hour on dry time between primer coats is good, it dries quick
Keep the roller fuller of paint, tryin to get all the paint used on the roller by putting to much pressure on it will cause lines to form that'll need to blended constantly
Double coats is what I did, except the trim since that got the high gloss ultra white

I'm ok with free handing around trim and other obstalces. But found those paint edgers to work nicely, just roll over it as close to the edge, to blend more nicley and remove and streaking

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn...1077-00100C&lpage=none

 

[Vette73]

If painting a dark color make sure you get a primer that can be tinted and have it tinted close to the paint color but a little under.

Also I would not use Behr if you are planning on using red or other heavy tinted paints/colors. They seem to bleed a bit. I thought they would have fixed that issue but my wife, a friend of hers, and some others have had that problem with Behr. I used Valspar (lowes) paint and just painted my inside of the house ceiling and then walls with no problem.

 

[BigJ]

Originally posted by: Marlin1975
If painting a dark color make sure you get a primer that can be tinted and have it tinted close to the paint color but a little under.

Also I would not use Behr if you are planning on using red or other heavy tinted paints/colors. They seem to bleed a bit. I thought they would have fixed that issue but my wife, a friend of hers, and some others have had that problem with Behr. I used Valspar (lowes) paint and just painted my inside of the house ceiling and then walls with no problem.

I'm actually going from very dark (red-orange and blue-green, don't ask) to hopefully a very light grey/blue color.

From what I've read, a double coat of Kilz is the way to go for going over a dark paint.

I'd give Lowes a shot, but I have a vested interest in supporting HD

 

[BigJ]

Originally posted by: rky60
I just painted my entire house, trim included. Used the HD Behr paint and the Behr primer.


3/8" would be fine, use the Purdy rollers, and brushes (can be pricey but worth it)
1 hour on dry time between primer coats is good, it dries quick
Keep the roller fuller of paint, tryin to get all the paint used on the roller by putting to much pressure on it will cause lines to form that'll need to blended constantly
Double coats is what I did, except the trim since that got the high gloss ultra white

I'm ok with free handing around trim and other obstalces. But found those paint edgers to work nicely, just roll over it as close to the edge, to blend more nicley and remove and streaking

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn...1077-00100C&lpage=none

Trim is going to get replaced a few weeks down the road. I'm waiting to accumulate enough cull pieces.

I've used the paint edgers before and they are pretty handy.

Can the Purdy rollers/brushes be found at HD? Just checked the website and they can, beautiful.

BTW, thanks to the both of you!

 

[timswim78]

Do you really want to paint today if you are replacing the trim soon?

 

[robphelan]

take off all the wall switch plates and A/C vents before you start - painting around them leaves an unprofessional look.

take your time & tape well.

 

[BigJ]

Originally posted by: timswim78
Do you really want to paint today if you are replacing the trim soon?

Soon is within 2 months. Not 2 weeks. There something I should know about? Painting isn't my strong point. Electrical is my strong point, I'm decent with plumbing and retarded with painting.

Trim is also just going to be plain white. Not the color I'm painting the walls.

 

[BigJ]

Originally posted by: robphelan
take off all the wall switch plates and A/C vents before you start - painting around them leaves an unprofessional look.

take your time & tape well.

Replacing all switches and outlets, so already done.

 

[SuperNaruto]

I have to agree, the purdy rollers are AWESOME... best money i spent on them and they're pretty cheap too...

 

[BigJ]

Originally posted by: SuperNaruto
I have to agree, the purdy rollers are AWESOME... best money i spent on them and they're pretty cheap too...

Got a 3 pack of 'em for about $8. I don't mind spending money if it's worth it.

 

[steppinthrax]

I did my family room last weekend.

Some asshole (previous owner) put cedar wood paneling (diagnolly) and mirrors on the wall. I never liked it. I decided to remove it. In the process I noticed the reason why he put it up was because someone had glued tiles to the walls in the past. The walls were riddled with glue and portions of paper removed. To make matters worse it was some sort of toung and groove cedar paneling and he hammered the nails right below each toung so the only way it was going to come off is be pulled of and I had hundreds of nails holes.

1. I used a hot air gun to remove all glue.
2. I sanded the wall completley
3. I bought a gallon of plaster and applied a coat over all walls.
4. Sanded again. REALLY MAKE SURE YOU GET A VAC WITH A HEPA FILTER AND AS YOU SAND HOLD THE HOSE RIGHT UP TO THE SANDER. or you will get a fine coat of plaster dust all over your furniture.

5. I applied two coats of KILZ 2 primer (walmart). IT hid most of the problems the 2nd coat worked wonders.

6. I then applied the final coat of Behr.

I would say behr only required one coat. It gets excelent coverage and is a really great paint. My whole house has been painted with behr. I only used a whole pan to paint my living room. I had plenty of paint left.

Came out great.

 

[steppinthrax]

Originally posted by: BigJ
Don't have any idea what color I'm picking but it'll be something neutral. I'll ask the guys at HD for recommendations.

But my real question is what tips do you guys have? I haven't painted a room for years so I definitely don't know good time saving techniques, tips to get a better end result, or anything else people more familiar with painting would know. Also, some questions:

-Will be buying Behr Premium Plus; they suggest 3/8"-1/2" naps on the rollers. Do you guys have a preference?

-Will be using Kilz Original Primer. Says it is ready for another application in an hour. Should I wait longer or will it be good to go. The Behr says it'll be ready for 2nd coat in 4 hours. Also good or should I wait longer?

-Wet to dry best technique to use with the roller?

-Double coat of primer (dark walls) and double coat of paint should be fine, right?

Whatever advice any of you have would be much appreciated.

As far as answering your questions.

Kilz goes on real thick and you may need more then you think. I was told you only really need one coat of primer but I dont' know. Don't use the oil. I got the Kilz 2 primer from walmart.

I used the cheap mainstay rollers for 2 dollars a pack but then I had to toss a roller between coats....

My area was small.

 

[lokiju]

Tape is just a PITA, don't bother.

It just waste time and money.

This thing is a life saver for doing along the ceiling.

http://www.amazon.com/Shur-Lin...qid=1199468075&sr=8-40

I just painted most of my house actually.

 

[thedarkwolf]

yeah screw the tape. It never works worth a damn for me anyway. Paint either bleeds through or I tear off chunks of the paint when I peel it off. Buy a good cut in brush and just paint around the trim, ceiling, and windows by hand, it isn't hard. Don't cheap out on it and get one of the $2 brushes. I've been using the same $10 one through 4 rooms so far and it is still in good shape. Just did my bedroom last weekend.

 

[OrganizedChaos]

when you paint the ceiling wear a hat.

 

[steppinthrax]

Originally posted by: lokiju
Tape is just a PITA, don't bother.

It just waste time and money.

This thing is a life saver for doing along the ceiling.

http://www.amazon.com/Shur-Lin...qid=1199468075&sr=8-40

I just painted most of my house actually.

The problem about that is the paint texture will be different along the ceiling. You can do that but go over it with a roller like I did.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Get some of that blue painters tape and mask off the edges around door moldings, base molding and windows.

 

[ManyBeers]

When it is time to roll the walls after doing the cut-in with a brush, pour the paint into a five gallon bucket with a grate and Not those paint trays that lay flat on the floor. Also buy an extension pole 6 footers are fairly cheap.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

Originally posted by: ManyBeers
When it is time to roll the walls after doing the cut-in with a brush, pour the paint into a five gallon bucket with a grate and Not those paint trays that lay flat on the floor. Also buy an extension pole 6 footers are fairly cheap.

Yes, exactly. Five gallon buckets are a life-saver, and if you don't finish all in one go, you can submerge the roller and reuse it later without having to wash it or having it dry out on you. Don't fill your five gallon bucket; just enough paint to submerge your roller will leave you plenty of room to squeeze excess paint out on your screen. A collapsible 6 foot extension pole is a life saver; you can paint a whole room with minimal ladder usage (obviously cutting in around the ceiling will still require a ladder, but the less time you spend moving a ladder around, the faster you finish, and everything will look better to boot).

Make sure you have cleaned your surface well (not just wiping it with water, use a cleaning solution; soap is generally enough, dirtex if you have some nasty filth), and make sure it is DRY before you start painting.

Be sure to give yourself at least a 2 inch wide line when cutting in. Skilled painters need less, but rollers aren't that accurate, and if you don't leave enough room, you may well smack the roller into the ceiling trying to hit your cut stroke. Best to play it safe, since no harm comes from rolling over your cut in. When cutting, hold the brush as you would hold a pencil, and paint by holding the brush the narrow way. Most people assume that if a brush is 3 inches wide, they should use it to make a 3 inch stroke. But you'll find you have much more accuracy, control and distance if you paint by bringing the brush laterally along your edge. In other words, turn it 90 degrees. I'd recommend a diagonal cut brush, painting by bringing the shorter edge in front and the diagonal trailing behind. This method forces paint down along the bristles, and also gives you mush more control over how close you can get to an edge. It's counter-intuitive at first, but is definitely the preferred method of cutting.

When rolling, roll out a full vertical section of wall ceiling to floor, maybe two or three roller lengths wide (don't spread yourself too thin though, even if you intend to do a second coat), then go back over it and roll straight down. This will set all the paint the same direction. If you just smear the paint on in jagged up-down strokes with the occasional diagonal, it will be painfully obvious when the light hits it. As long as you roll it all down, it will match perfectly. This is true of awkward spaces between fixtures and windows as well; you may need to turn the roller sideways to get the paint on the wall, but remember to smooth it all the same direction for the best finish (vertically is preferred because it is much, much simpler overall).

Use plenty of blue painter's tape (don't use masking or *shudder* duct tape, as they leave sticky residue, and are more likely to tear up the paint when you pull them up). Apply it as close as you possibly can, but don't treat it like a catch all. If you let your roller continually hit the tape, when it comes time to bring the tape up, it will take the paint up with it. But tape is good to have as we all make mistakes and paint can be a royal bitch to clean out of some things, especially if you don't get to it fast enough (bare wood sills or trim being the absolute worst). On that note, use drop cloths as well, keeps you from getting paint on the floor. Careful as you walk around on them though, since paint will get on your shoes, and you don't want to track it all over.

In terms of cleaning, a roller spinner is absolutely wonderful. No idea what they cost, but when I worked paint crew, they were basically the only thing that would really get a roller clean (unless you felt like hand scrubbing for half an hour). Stick the roller on, immerse in water, spin it out, repeat. Scrape it down a couple times with a 5 in 1, spin it to dry it.... It made brush cleaning fun. A wire brush is essential for cleaning a cut brush, and if you have a good cut brush, believe me, you want to keep it. Rinse it, scrape

Oh, keep a moist rag with you at all times. If you have a spill, hit it immediately. Latex paint is wonderful in that it will come up with water painlessly as long as you get to it quickly. If it gets a chance to set, you may want to keep a razor scraper or 5 in 1 handy to scrape off the flecks that invariably fly off the roller.

As far as advertised times for paint setting, you should be fine to trust them. If the room is unusually damp or poorly ventialted, it will take longer. If you can bring in some fans to circulate air (but not blow a bunch of dust on your wet walls), it will be faster.

I miss painting...

 

[ponyo]

If you don't finish painting and don't want to wash the roller, just get a plastic bag and enclose the roller head section. You can pick it up days later and finish the job.

Work in complete section. Don't start a section and go to the next without finishing the first. You want to work quickly or with someone to keep the paint edge wet or else you're going to end up with picture frame effect on your walls.

Great paint job is all about prepping and that's where you need to spend most of the time. Any monkey can roll.

 

[oogabooga]

Atomic Playboy has excellent advice except for part about missing painting. I miss it sometimes, but then I get the sense knocked into me.

The Roller Spinner is NICE but I don't know if it's worth the ... 25ish dollars? It's useful in that it's the best way i've found as well to clean rollers. But realistically if you aren't going to paint again it's probably not worth the cost of the tool. If it's cheap (ie worth the cost to you to be able to save rollers) I'd definitely pick one up. You're talking about the thing that sorta looks like a caulking gun with a thing to place the roller on and a thing that you push in and spins the roller super fast right?

Painting is by far prep prep prep. tape/dropclothes will make it so you can work efficiently and cleanly. A job that hasn't been prepped will be of inferior quality and will be noticeable later on as well.

If you're going from a dark color to a lighter color you will more than likely need multiple coats of primer and possibly but hopefully not regular paint.

I would use the blue painters tape while expensive is excellent for this application. Masking tape you can get away with but you have to be VERY VERY careful when painting. Painters I worked with bought this tape in rolls by the hundreds and for good reason. The painters tape from scotch has a 7 day period where it can adhere to a surface and be safely removed HOWEVER: peel the tape SLOWLY or you will still damage the surface underneath. A slow and deliberate pace is required.

Do not use tape, paint, and leave both there to dry. The paint drying on the tape will chip and chunk as you're removing the tape and all those pretty sharp edges end up looking like poo.

Keep a wet edge when painting. Start on one part of the wall, then move towards the other maintaining the wet edge. This will end up giving it a more consistent/finished look. Painting over drying paint will end up with discoloration/splotching.

That edger lokiju linked to worked for me once. I just used it in one closet. I think had I continued working as a painter i'd consider using it again, but I generally use my Purdy Brush. Purdy while costly is worth it imo, especially if you are going to buy the paint roller cleaner device and keep your equipment.

edit: if it's cold/humid that day (as it is winter) you may want to allow extra time to dry. If you buy the stuff the day you paint, I'd even run it by the paint section people.

Also: Since you're doing it yourself, throw a few cold ones back in the fridge. And when you're all done sit back and enjoy the fruits of a job well done along with a nice cold drink :thumbsup: :beer:

 

[Squisher]

Some really good advice in this thread.

Yes, cleaning well beforehand is necessary.

Now here is where you need tape

 

[BigJ]

Update: Round 1 goes to the paint.

Did the ceiling and completely messed it up because I let the roller get too dry. Amateur move, told myself I wouldn't do it, and it happened. What'cha gonna do. Doing a second coat on it. I mean it doesn't actually look that bad, but it's noticeable in a few spots. I'll be painting over the next 16 hours (weird sleep schedule, I sleep during the day for 4-5 hours) so hopefully at the least I'll be able to get the ceiling finished, another coat of primer on, and a coat of paint on (done right that is). Glad I learned my lesson on the ceiling though where I have plenty of spare paint.

Thanks everyone for all the tips.